UH announces recipient of the 2006 Willard Wilson Award for Distinguished Service to the Community

HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi has announced the recipient of the 2006 Willard Wilson Award for Distinguished Service to the Community. Named after the long-time UH employee and secretary to the Board of Regents who set a standard for exemplary service to the community, the award is presented this year to Dr. Wayne T. Nishijima of UH Mānoa.

Nishijima is the associate dean and associate director for cooperative extension of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR). For 27 years Nishijima has served as an instructor and extension specialist with CTAHR. His outstanding contributions to academia and the community led to his current appointment in 2005 in which he oversees outreach programs on Kauai, Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi.

Nishijima‘s expertise in plant pathology has impacted numerous industries dealing with pathological problems. He is a noted authority on tropical plant diseases and has been a contributing author on the most authoritative reference on tropical fruit diseases published by the American Phytopathological Society. Nishijima is also world renowned for his research and outreach/education in papaya diseases and in solving the serious bacterial blight of anthurium.

Although Nishijima is based at Mānoa, he is often seen at CTAHR's Hilo facility on weekends and holidays researching information requested by local growers or doing small repairs and maintenance of the facility. A former lieutenant colonel, Nishijima is active in the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard Retiree‘s Association. He also volunteers his time to worthy organizations such as Hospice of Hilo and the Waiakea Lions.

Nishijima will be recognized for his contributions to the community along with other UH award winners at a systemwide ceremony in September.